(Oxford) It looked like last week but then it didn’t.
Skip Tripp and Will Dunphy had finished 1-2 last week and there they were in the same order deep into Friday night’s 20-lap Outlaws feature.
A blown tire changed everything.
Skip Tripp suddenly lost speed with Will Dunphy close behind him.
This turn of events opened the door for Opening Day winner Drew Morse.
“I saw Dunphy and the 12 messing around,” recalled Drew. “I was like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna hang her out there and pray that I can get around them on the outside.’”
Get around he did, and Drew held the lead the rest of the way to gain his second win.
“I thought I had a chance,” said Will Dunphy afterwards. “I’m still happy with second, in fact I’m happy to be in the top five.”
Will has now finished second four straight weeks. He had a win before the run of seconds began.
Tonight, was the first night of three straight days of racing. There were fewer races tonight and that effected the track significantly.
“We had a way better track this time because we didn’t have all the Super Late Model rubber on the track,” explained Will.
The increased traction opened the upper grooves as options and there were plenty of Outlaws’ takers.
Running four wide is usually a direct route to trouble but not tonight. The feature had four-wide’s and they never led to cautions. It was a bit tight for those in the middle of it, however.
“I felt like a pinball out there!” said Drew laughing.
Drew wasn’t pleased with the way his car has been handling since he won the feature the end of May. “We’ve been struggling with the car being tight,” he said. “We were still tight tonight, but it was good enough to get the win.”
However, it wasn’t enough to get the win in the 8-lap heat for Drew. He ended up second to Betty Nelson.
“I just happened to be a little tighter than Betty and she got me,” added Drew.
Chris Foster finished third in the feature.
Serious accident in the Rebels’ feature tonight. The longer the medical people are on the track the more concerned I get. Can’t help it.
The prospect of injury is part of the reality that race-car drivers (and their families) face.
“It’s the chance you take every time you buckle in,” said Drew Morse.
The weather was just right.
Between the heats and the features, kids got rides in race cars.
McClelland Miscellanea 